Guidlines for Funding Opportunities

All AGEP forms referenced in these Guidelines are available online.

Funding Opportunity Categories

  1. Campus Recruitment Visit
  2. Stipend Supplement
  3. Conference Travel
  4. Book Allowance
  5. Laptop Lending Program
  6. Business Cards
  7. Student Membership in Professional Organizations

Category 1: Campus Visit

Financial support of the allowable travel costs for one (1) campus visit to UB incurred by any qualified “AGEP-eligible” prospective student who has applied to a doctoral program in your unit; who you would like to enroll for such doctoral study; and for whom a campus visit may be an influential element in his/her decision to accept your admission offer. Such travel support under the program will be limited to a total of $500 in allowable costs per student, although there is no prescribed limit on the number of such “AGEP-eligible” prospective doctoral students you may propose for such travel support. The form that should be used to request funding for individual cases can be found here (pdf).

Please note the following additional conditions associated with this support category:

  1. Standard Research Foundation travel policies and reimbursement limits will apply, and original receipts and other customary documentation will be expected at the time reimbursement of expenses is sought by the student.
  2. The allowable campus visit travel costs of prospective AGEP-eligible doctoral students being recruited for initial enrollment in any semester through Fall 2009 may be supported.
  3. Departments that funded campus visits by AGEP-eligible students during the Spring/Summer 2008 recruiting cycle may be reimbursed by providing customary documentation.
  4. No costs incurred by faculty, staff or other students (e.g., mileage; meals, entertainment, etc.) will be reimbursed.

to the Top^

Category 2: Stipend Supplement

Financial support to underwrite the cost of a “top-off” stipend supplement to enhance a base “full” assistantship or fellowship funded by your department/program for an “AGEP-eligible” doctoral student. The form to be used in recommending individual students for such support can be found here (pdf). Due to the time period of UB’s current AGEP grant and the total amount of funding available to us under the project, the following limits on such “top-off” stipend supplements will apply:

  1. The base “full” assistantship or fellowship provided to the “AGEP-eligible” student by the academic department/program must be equal in annual stipend amount to that being awarded to other supported doctoral students newly recruited to that program for the same semester.
  2. Note that the base “full” assistantship or fellowship provided by the department/program may not be funded by a Federal grant. The SUNY-AGEP Project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Federal guidelines prohibit participant support from one Federal grant source (e.g., the AGEP program) if the participant is already receiving support from another Federal source. Therefore, AGEP-eligible graduate students who are appointed as Research Project Assistants (RPA-150) and paid by a federally funded grant are not eligible to concurrently receive a stipend supplement (“top-off”) from the AGEP grant. However, if the department has the flexibility to exchange the grant-funded base assistantship(s) for other non-grant funded base assistantship(s), the requested stipend supplements from AGEP could be processed once the exchange of base assistantship funding sources has been made.
  3. For the 2008-2009 academic year only, the maximum annualized amount of a “top-off” stipend supplement will be $5,000. We cannot guarantee the $5,000 rate of supplement for subsequent years. “Top-off” requests may be requested in the range of $3,500 to $5,000 for the academic year.
  4. An increase to any new maximum stipend supplement rate is not automatic, nor is renewal of a previously awarded (2007-2008) stipend supplement (departments are required to request renewals for their student(s) at the beginning of the academic year (form can be found here (pdf)). Renewal of stipend supplement awards is subject to the student’s satisfactory academic progress and the continuation of the base “full” assistantship/fellowship funded by the student’s department/program.
  5. Consistent with current practice, departments/programs will be responsible for providing tuition scholarship support in association with the base “full” assistantship or fellowship provided by the unit. No funds from the SUNY-AGEP project will be used to underwrite tuition or fees.

to the Top^

Category 3: Conference Travel

Financial support to assist in meeting the allowable costs of an enrolled “AGEP-eligible” doctoral or master’s student’s attendance at an appropriate professional conference or meeting related to his/her studies. Such travel and other conference expense support under the program will be limited to a total of $1,000 in allowable costs per conference/meeting; three (3) conferences per doctoral student and one (1) conference per master’s student over the duration of study (time spent as an enrolled student at UB), although there is no prescribed limit on the number of enrolled “AGEP-eligible” doctoral or master’s students you may propose for such support. Standard Research Foundation travel policies and reimbursement limits will apply, and original receipts and other customary documentation will be expected at the time reimbursement of expenses is sought by the student. The form to be used in recommending individual students for such support can be found here (pdf). Under this category of support the following additional conditions will apply:

  1. Enrolled “AGEP-eligible” doctoral students will not be eligible for such financial support for conference/meeting attendance during their first year of study unless they have already earned a master’s degree.
  2. Enrolled “AGEP-eligible” master’s students will not be eligible for such financial support for conference/meeting attendance until their third semester of study.
  3. The student does not have to be on the conference/meeting program (e.g., giving a paper or presentation; serving on a panel, etc.) to qualify for such support.
  4. Students who will be accompanied by a UB faculty member from their academic department/program will be given priority for such financial support of conference/meeting attendance.
  5. A master’s student will be able to receive financial support under this category only once during the course of his/her master’s program.
  6. A doctoral student will be able to receive financial support under this category only three times during the course of his/her doctoral program.
  7. This financial assistance for conference travel does not include events sponsored by SUNY AGEP, including those at SUNY Albany, SUNY Binghamton and SUNY Stony Brook. Attendance at SUNY AGEP sponsored events may be funded separately and will not count against the student’s conference travel.

to the Top^

Category 4: Book Allowance

Financial support to reimburse “AGEP-eligible” students for a portion of the costs associated with their purchase of course or project-related books, supplies, software, etc.

  1. All enrolled “AGEP-eligible” graduate students (doctoral and master’s) may apply for reimbursement of the costs of course or project-related books, supplies, software, etc., up to a maximum of $500 for the Fall 2008 semester and $500 for the Spring 2009 semester only. Books and other study/project items must be related to the students’ major area of study.
  2. Original receipts for allowed items, together with a properly completed AGEP Application Form, must be brought (not mailed) to the AGEP office, 401 Capen Hall, North Campus. The application form is found here (pdf).
  3. Students in the Roswell Park Graduate Division (only) can make arrangements with the AGEP Project Coordinator, Elizabeth Colucci, to send (via campus mail) receipts and the completed AGEP form to the AGEP office. Please contact Elizabeth at 645-2942 for additional information.

to the Top^

Category 5: Laptop Lending Program

Ten (10) IBM Thinkpad T41 laptop computers have been secured for use by selected AGEP-eligible doctoral students. Purchased with AGEP grant funds, these computers are for the specific purpose of providing up-to-date computer technology required for course, research and dissertation-related work.

  1. All AGEP-eligible doctoral students who do not have the financial means to purchase newer computers on their own are eligible. Deserving AGEP-eligible students who will make optimal use of the Thinkpads may be nominated by their departments. The nominations will be evaluated by the members of the AGEP Advisory Group, and the computers will be awarded on a “most needed” basis. The nomination form can be found here (pdf).
  2. Any equipment purchased through the AGEP Program is, and legally must remain, the property of the Research Foundation of the State of New York/SUNY. Therefore, laptops are loaned on a year-to-year basis, to ten AGEP-eligible graduate students whose situations most merit the use of this technology.

to the Top^

Category 6: Business Cards

To support AGEP-eligible students' ability to establish and maintain professional connections, upon request the AGEP Program will obtain University at Buffalo business cards at no cost to the student.

AGEP-eligible students are eligible to receive a maximum 100 business cards before reaching candidacy and 100 business cards after candidacy. Additionally, students must be employees (TA, GA, RA) of the University at Buffalo to be eligible to receive business cards.

The University has established very strict rules regarding stationery formats. The business cards, with the official UB logo, must adhere to those formats.

The business cards are available in either one color (UB blue) or two colors (UB blue and grey) with up to seven (7) lines of text with this UB logo:

UB logo

The text must read:

Name
Graduate Student, __________________ Department

Campus Address
Phone
E-mail:

The form that should be used to request Business Cards can be found here (pdf). Return signed form to the AGEP Office, 401 Capen, North Campus.

to the Top^

Category 7: Student Membership in Professional Organizations

To enhance AGEP-eligible students' connections to their disciplines, the AGEP program will offer AGEP-eligible graduate students the funds to support membership in appropriate professional organizations. Students can join one professional organization a year, at a maximum annual cost of $100 for a student membership.

AGEP-eligible graduate students may apply for such support during 2008-2009 by completing and submitting a request form, found here (pdf), together with materials documenting the actual cost incurred for such student memberships.

to the Top^

Revised 6/30/08